The present disclosure relates to elevator systems, and more particularly to an elevator braking control system for assuring moving components of the elevator system are separated.
Self-propelled elevator systems, also referred to as ropeless elevator systems, are useful in certain applications (e.g., high rise buildings) where the mass of the ropes for a roped system is prohibitive and/or there is a need for multiple elevator cars in a single hoistway. For ropeless elevator systems, it may be advantageous to actuate mechanical braking of the elevator car from the car itself. Similarly, it may be advantageous to actuate or control the propulsion of the elevator car generally from the hoistway side for power distribution and other reasons. To realize both of these advantages, a communication link should exist between the car and the hoistway side to perform reliable braking operations. Moreover, with systems having multiple elevator cars, braking of one car may influence the separation between cars. Improvements in elevator car braking control and/or car separation assurance are desirable.